Modern agriculture relies on many different machines to produce the food we eat at high efficiency and low cost. America's food supply and, to a greater extent, its economic prosperity, depends on those machines and the farmers that operate them.
Perhaps the most well-known of farm machines is the combine: a machine for harvesting various grains. A combine implements three operations in one (1) machine: harvesting (reaping), threshing, and winnowing. Combines are widely used to harvest corn, soybean, wheat, oat, rye, barley, and flax. Most combines not only implement the three operations but also bail the otherwise unused materials for feed and bedding for livestock.
While combines are remarkably productive machines they are rather expensive, not well suited for driving down a highway, and are rather large. Because of the cost, combines must be efficiently used, which requires transportation from one (1) field to the next. But as noted, combines are wide, frequently wider than allowed on roadways. Typical roadway maximums are between ninety-six to one hundred-twenty inches (96-120 in.) wide.
Because of the width of a combine it is a common practice to remove the outer tires and rims on either side of the combine during transportation. Removing the outer tires and rims reduces the combine width to a dimension that can be legally transported over a highway on a trailer. However, combine tires and rims are often large and heavy. In the prior art removing such tires and rims usually required a crane, a forklift, or a winch as well as another vehicle to provide outside support for the combine. All of this increased the cost, difficulty, and complexity when transporting a combine.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an apparatus by which the outer tires and rims on combines can be easily removed, stowed, transported and re-installed for transportation on public roadways. Beneficially, such an apparatus would be fast and easy to use, would be an integral combine component, and would not require assist from a crane, forklift, winch, or another vehicle. Because of the weight of combine tires and rims the apparatus should be strong and rugged, should use available hydraulic mechanical systems, should support the tires and rims at all times, should be configurable as standard, optional, or add-on equipment, and should be readily adaptable to work with different makes, models, and years of combines.